Automobile headlamp



Dec. 6, 1960 E. FOTl AUTOMOBILE HEADLAMP Filed Oct. 4, 1957 COAT/N6 OF RED 0/? YELLOW 7O PURPLE K m E UM m M m E g w M E B flm L 60 m w N 5 TEE mm 066 PURPL E ATTORNEY United States Patent AUTOMOBILE HEADLAMP Eva Foti, 62 Catherine St. 8., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Filed Oct. 4, 1957, Ser. No. 688,154

3 Claims. (Cl. 313-117) This invention relates to vehicle headlamps. More particularly, the invention has reference to a headlamp that is designed to reduce glare otherwise encountered by oncoming motorists.

It is well known that a considerable driving hazard results from headlight glareJ Often, a driver encountering an oncoming vehicle is temporarily blinded by the lights of said vehicle, particularly when said lights are adjusted to their up or road beam positions. In these circumstances, accidents often result, and therefore the main object of the present invention is to prevent accidents by eliminating the mentioned blindness, through the provision of a headlamp that is particularly designed to avoid the casting of beams directly into the eyes of the oncoming motorist.

A more particular object is to provide a headlamp which will produce the above stated, desirable results, while at the same time providing full illumination for the vehicle on which the headlamp is mounted.

Still another object is to provide a headlamp that will be capable of manufacture by use of the same machinery and processes presently employed, with minor variations.

Yet another object is to provide a headlamp in which there will be on the lens a coating of a particular color, with the area so coated being specially shaped and located to provide optimum results so far as preventing blindness of oncoming drivers is concerned.

Still another object is to associate, with the area coated on the lens, a second area provided upon a reflector of the headlamp, which will have a coactive relationship to the first area, designed to filter the light rays, where they are projected through the area coated upon the lens.

Yet another object is to provide for various shades or ranges of colors, for the purpose of producing filtering of a corresponding degree.

Still another object is to provide for a headlamp construction which can be incorporated in modern automobile vehicles without modification of the body design or electrical systems of said vehicles.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a headlamp formed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a side elevational view.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the headlamp constituting the present invention has been generally designated at 10, and illustrated is a left sealed beam unit. This includes a reflector body 12, which is of domeshaped formation, and is in the form of a thin shell of concavo-convex configuration. Centrally provided upon the body 12 and projecting rearwardly from said body is a terminal assembly generally designated at 14. Extending peripherally of the body at the front thereof, is a flange portion 16, to which is sealably connected, at its 2,963,613 Patented Dec. 6, 1960 periphery, a forwardly convex lens 18. The lens, so far as the prismatic arrangement thereof is concerned, is of basically conventional construction and accordingly, there will be no requirement of modification or redesign of conventional lens making machinery. The same is true of the reflector body 12.

The invention includes an area 20 coated upon the lens 18, which area is colored so as to be translucent, to a selected degree constituting a substantial portion through which light rays are filtered as compared with thte remaining portion 22 of the lens area.

Referring to Figure 1, area 20 has an outer edge 24 registered with the periphery of lens portion 22, and extending through approximately 180 degrees of the lens circumference. An inner edge 26 of area 20 also constitutes the inner edge of portion 22, and has a simple, regular curvature from end to end, intersecting the periphery of the lens at the ends of the edge 24. The edges 24, 26 are bowed in the same direction, so that area 20 has a crescent shape. It is also important to note that the area 20 is inclined, with the greatest portion of the area lying to one side of a vertical center line a of lens 18. Area 20 is symmetrically disposed in respect to a line b that extends at an angle of 45 degrees to the vertical center line a extending upwardly from the cen er point 0 of the lens, radially from said center point.

The line b intersects the area 20, bisecting said area so that equal parts of the area are disposed at opposite sides of the line b.

So far as the color of the coated area 20 is concerned, this can vary, and in a preferred embodiment would be selected from a color scale ranging from yellow through orange to red. A light red would be probably used in a commercial embodiment, and this color would serve to filter the greatest number of the light rays striking the same, preventing their passage through the coated portion of the lens, that is, in a direction toward the eyes of an oncoming motorist. The particular area, shape, and size of the area 20 is selected, in this regard, with respect to the convexity and the prismatic arrangement of the lens, to insure against light rays striking the eyes of the oncoming motorist. The area 20 would jundoubtedly be illuminated to some extent, and is therefore appropriately considered as being translucent, since it does not completely blacken the part of the lens covered thereby, and does not serve to filter all light that strikes the same. One can thus still see the full configuration of the headlamp, since the headlamp will be illuminated through its full circular area.

The reflector body 12, over an area 28, will be colored on its inner surface, the coloring can be continued through the material of the reflector body, so as to be also visible on the outer surface as clearly seen in Figures 2 and 3. The remainder of the area of body 12, designated at 30, is provided with a conventional silver coating and the reflective characteristics of this portion of the body are not changed by the invention in any way.

The color of the area 28 is selected over a range from, green to blue to purple, and in a preferred embodiment a violet shade would be employed. Glass is used for the reflector body in sealed beam units, conventionally, and accordingly, the coloring pigments would be intermixed with the glass while it is in a molten state in any conventional manner, to color the glass over the particular part designated at 28.

This eliminates the reflective characteristics of the body, over the full extent of the area 28. Area 28 has an outer edge 30, and inner edges 32. The outer edge 30 extends through degrees of the sealed beam unit circumference, this being the same 180 degrees over which the edge 24 extends. The edges 32, at their outer ends, terminate at the ends of the edge 30, and at their ends terminate at the terminal unit 14. The edges 32 are each arcuately indented toward the edge 39, and the area 28 is symmetrically disposed in respect to a radial line b, that is, equal parts of the area 28 are disposed at the opposite sides of line b.

In considering the color variations that might be employed, the red-coated area 20 of the lens might be varied, so that any color from yellow to purple might be used. As to the area 28, while this would probably be violet in a commercial embodiment, but any color from green to purple might be used.

The particular combination of colors, and the particular form and location of the area's, serves to provide reflective characteristics only inthat part of the body surface directly in back ofthe clear or completely transparent portion 22 of the lens, and reflectionis dampened in back of the coated area 20, thus further lessening the transmission of light beams therethrough.

Although only one sealed beam unit is shown, the other sealed beam unit would be identical to that illustrated, that is, the areas would be disposed exactly as they are located in Figure 1, in the same places on the unit with respect to the vertical center line a and the 45 degree line b.

Although the area of the lens that is coated can be varied in size, the configuration of the coated area shown in Figure l is preferred. In this arrangement, considerably less than half the total area is covered but there is nevertheless full visibility without direction of the rays upwardly into the eyes of oncoming drivers. Both the area 20 and the area 28 maybe colored by mixing the pigments with the liquid glass of the lens and reflector body, respectively in any suitable manner. With a headlight made in this manner, the sharpness of the rays will be minimized, but visibility will not be appreciably lowered.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described,

and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An integral one-piece headlamp including a reflector body and lens sealably connected at their peripheries and formed oppositely concave-convex in configuration, said lens being of reduced 'translu'cence through a portion of its area, the major part of the portion of reduced translucence being disposed to one side of'a vertical line extending diametrically of the lens, the reflector body including an area of reduced reflective characteristics, said area of the lens and reflector body extending through corresponding portions of the circumferences thereof to their centers, said areas of the lens and reflector body each being symmetrically disposed in respect to a line extending upwardly from the center of the headlamp at an angle of 45 degrees from the vertical, with equal portions of each area being disposed on oppositesides of said 45 degree line, said area of the lens being of'crescent shape with an arcuately indented inner edge, and with an outer edge following the circumference of the lens through degrees of the lens, said reflector body area having'arcuate inner andouter edges with said outer edge thereof extending through the same 180 degrees of the circumference of the reflector body as that of the lens area, and the area of reduced translucence of the lens and the area of reduced reflective characteristics are colored.

, 2. A headlamp as in claim 1 in which the area of re duced translucence is of a color selected from a range extending from yellow through red to purple.

3. A headlamp as in claim 1 in which the area of reduced reflective characteristics is selected from a color occurring in a range from green through blue to purple.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,429,762 Oliver Sept. 19, 1922 1,533,615 Schwartz Apr. 14, 1925 1,557,563 Dahlstrom Oct. 20, 1925 1,584,070 Appelquist May 11, 1926 1,604,839 Arnidon" Oct. 26, 1926 2,678,996 Johnson May 18, 1954 

